If the Midland College golf team can find more consistency, then the Chaparrals might be in store for a very good spring.

But inconsistent play along with some windy conditions during the first round of the Midland College Invitational at Midland Country Club on Monday proved to be enough for Odessa College to get the edge over the Chaparrals.

Odessa College shot a 291-294--585 total to finish five strokes ahead of Midland College, which shot a 301-289--590 total.

"The course was in excellent condition. We just didn't execute the first 18 holes," MC coach Delnor Poss said. "We're still struggling to get the bottom of our lineup to produce. Our (Nos.) 1, 2 and 3 players, (Richie) Farmer, (Luke) Richardson and (Tyson) Turnbow played extremely well today.

"Odessa College played well and played consistent."

Farmer, Richardson and Turnbow combined to shoot 6-under par during the second round of play, while Stephen Gage and Sean Lawrie each struggled and both shot a 79 in the final round.

But it's not like the top three for the Chaps didn't have their issues in the first round. For example, Richardson shot a 76, but recovered nicely in the afternoon and shot a 4-under 68 for the best round of the tournament. Richardson's 144 total helped him to place fifth in the medalists standings -- two shots back of first-place Kyle Lucas of 142.

"It was pretty tough out there with the wind (in the first round) and the greens were pretty quick as well. That made it pretty tricky," Richardson said. "In the afternoon I kept it in play, made a few putts and eliminated some mistakes."

Poss said after the first nine holes of the second round, Farmer was 3-under, Turnbow was 4-under and Richardson was 4-under. Both Farmer and Turnbow finished with 145 totals and tied for seventh place in the individual standings.

"I think the fellows realized they had left a lot on the course as far as opportunities in the first round and they were impatient," Poss said. "We talked prior to playing the second round that we needed to be more patient and keep the ball in play. Midland Country Club is a golf course where you have to keep the ball in play in the fairway or the short grass. If you can do that, then you can score (well)."

With this finish, the Chaps completed the fall season with two thirds and two consecutive seconds, which give Poss hope for the spring season.

"We've played extremely well with two sophomores and five freshmen," Poss said. "I've been impressed with them as a group. If we get a little more production out of the fourth and fifth spots, we can compete even better in the spring."

Richardson said the fall season was a good start for his team.

"We had a good fall. We always have one bad round but then we would always recover," he said.

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Oscar LeRoy can be reached at oleroy@mrt.com.

Midland College Invitational results

at Midland Country Club

Par: 72; Yards: 7,380

Monday

Team Standings -- 1. Odessa College 291-294--585; 2. Midland College 301-289--590; 3. Western Texas College 303-290--593; 4. New Mexico Junior College 301-295--596; 5. Clarendon College 303-301--603; 6. Ranger College 317-316--633; 7. New Mexico Military Institute 319-322--641